Giada's Roman Style Chicken

Summer is winding down and I finally have a moment to share a tasty recipe with you all. This was a part of my "3 Days of Food Network" series but I never quite made it to this recipe. Anyhow, this dish is delicious and healthy. We eat alot of chicken in our house and I am always searching for ways to spruce it up and make it more interesting(spices, oils and the occasional chicken sculpture are avenues I travel). My philosophy is this: Food should be delicious, healthy and fun. The more colorful a dish is, the better I like making it and eating it. Giada's chicken is a great way to take chicken and give it a kick in the pants. The peppers give it color and spice, not to mention how yummy they are. So, if you're bored making your traditional chicken cutlet meals, give this one a try!

Giada's Roman-style Chicken from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients
4 skinless chicken breast halves, with ribs

2 skinless chicken thighs, with bones
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 teaspoon
1/4 cup olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
3 ounces prosciutto, chopped ( I subbed 3 slices of turkey bacon, cooked and chopped)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Instructions
Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a heavy, large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.


Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the peppers and prosciutto and cook until the peppers have browned and the prosciutto is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, wine, and herbs. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes.

If serving immediately, add the capers and the parsley. Stir to combine and serve. If making ahead of time, transfer the chicken and sauce to a storage container, cool, and refrigerate. The next day, reheat the chicken to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the capers and the parsley and serve.

Chicken Parm Snackers

I have been super busy with the upcoming holidays, but stull had time to flip through my Rachael Ray 'Big Orange Book'. My husband is a huge chicken Parm lover, so when I came across not one, but two chicken parm recipes, I had to give them a whirl. Except I had to make few changes. You can probably find the original recipe on Rachael's site, but this is the one that I created. This is a great recipe for small holiday get togethers. Just make sure you have wooden toothpicks on hand; the plastic ones I used didn't really hold the chicken together.  Also, adjust the dipping sauce to your liking; I made mine spicy. For a variety, prepare the dipping sauce a variety of different ways such as sweet, spicy or even cheesy.

Chicken Parm Snackers (Serves 4)
2 8-10 oz skinless,boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of SHREDDED Parmesan cheese
1 TBSP salt
1 TSP pepper
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP onion powder
2 TBSPS of olive oil
1 TSP of parsley, to sprinkle on melted cheese
Wooden tooth picks

Dipping Sauce
1 small can crushed tomatoes(8-12 oz)
1 TSP minced garlic
1 TBSP grated Parmesan
Pinch of red hot pepper(just a couple of flakes)
1 pinch of sugar
1 TSP oregano
1 pinch of basil

Directions
Heat oil in a medium skillet. In a Ziploc bag, combine all chicken ingredients(not sauce ingredients) EXCEPT shredded Parmesan. Add chicken strips and shake until all is coated. In a small or medium sauce pan, Add all dipping sauce ingredients and stir frequently. Add chicken to heated pan, turning every two to three minutes until chicken is cooked through and outside is golden brown. When nearing the end of cooking, carefully sprinkle shredded Parmesan and parsley on top of each chicken strip. Allow to melt fully, then remove each strip. Fold each piece of chicken over and secure with a wooden toothpick. Serve sauce on the side for dipping.

Teriyaki Chicken and Fried Rice

So much for best laid plans. I thawed shrimp with every intention of making shrimp teriyaki tonight. When I unsealed the bag that held the shrimp, I was greeted by a surprisingly bad odor. In the (outside) garbage can it went and the plan turned to chicken. But wait, I had no fresh or defrosted chicken! So, what did I do? I used chicken nuggets. I had to - there were three hungry people in my kitchen. There were four, if you count me(can you count me? I am ALWAYS hungry). I threw the chicken nuggets in the oven and started in on the rice. Now, you can use regular rice, boil in bag rice, or even microwave rice. This will work with whatever you have in the house. It can be brown rice or white, whichever you prefer. Start to finish and depending which ingredients you use, this meal doesn't take more than twenty minutes. While I prefer to put more time and effort into my meals, this quick fix was just what I needed tonight. It was pretty tasty and enjoyed by all.

Jaime's Quick Fix Teriyaki Chicken and Fried Rice

10 chicken nuggets (you can also use 2 medium, boneless chicken breasts, breaded, fried and cut into pieces)
1 cup of white or brown rice (can be regular, boil in bag or microwave rice)
3 TBSP of teriyaki sauce (2 for the rice, 1 to add to chicken)

1 TSP of minced garlic
1 TBSP of olive oil
1 egg
1 TSP salt
1 TSP pepper


Prepare chicken nuggets according to box or bag, or prep and cook your breaded chicken cutlets. Prepare rice according to directions on box or bag. In a wok or medium pan, heat 1 TBSP of olive oil. Add rice when cooked. Stir in 1 TSP of minced garlic and 2 TBSP of teriyaki sauce. Stir intermittently for around three minutes then add salt and pepper. Finally, add egg to rice mixture and stir continuously until egg mixture is cooked and mixed into the rice. Then add cut up chicken to the rice mixture and add the last TBSP of teriyaki sauce. Keep stirring mixture for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and enjoy!

Day 2 of Rachael Ray: Grilled Lime Cilantro Chicken Sammies with Pico- Guac

Ever make a recipe that made someone a believer? If you have been following my blog, you know that my husband is the pickiest man on the planet. He drives me nuts. He will not touch guacamole with a ten foot pole and I LOVE it. Avocado is one of my favorite foods.  I found this recipe in Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book(I have re-named it the 'Big Orange Bible') and decided to see if I could convert my husband to a guacamole fan. Mission(sort of) accomplished. While he wasn't thrilled about trying some of the pico-guac off of a spoon, he loved it as the sandwich topping. So, while he may not be the biggest avocado fan, he has certainly warmed up to it after I made this recipe. But of course, I did make one change to the recipe. My chicken cutlets were not defrosted enough, so I used a pound of ground chicken. I personally think the ground chicken absorbed the seasoning much better than a cutlet and gave the sandwich a more 'burger-like' feel. I also lightly toasted the rolls to give the sandwich some crunch.
Rachael Ray's Grilled Lime Cilantro Chicken Sammies w/ Pico- Guac
from rachaelraymag.com(called 'Go Green Sammies')

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

2 scallions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

Grated peel of 1 lime plus juice of 2 limes

2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce

Salt and pepper

Four skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2 avocados

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 small plum tomato, seeded and finely chopped

2 jalapeño chiles, seeded and finely chopped

1 large clove garlic, grated or finely chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

4 hamburger buns or crusty rolls, split and toasted

1 head bibb lettuce or green leaf lettuce

Tortilla chips, for serving

Directions

In a shallow dish, combine the EVOO, cilantro, scallions, thyme, lime peel, half of the lime juice, and the hot sauce; season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and let marinate for at least 30 minutes. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Grill the chicken until cooked through. In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, red onion, tomato, jalapeños, garlic, lemon juice and remaining lime juice; season with salt. Top each bun bottom with lettuce, a chicken breast, a mound of guacamole and a bun top. Serve with the tortilla chips.

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole with Cranberries

In case you couldn't tell, I love to make meals in the slow cooker. It's a genius invention. I can easily rummage through whatever I have in the fridge,freezer or pantry and come up with a meal. Then, I just throw it all in the pot and leave it. I wanted to make this recipe for sometime, but other projects(ahem,cookies) took priority in using my cranberries. Well today, I decided, was the day. I had to make some changes, as I didn't have every ingredient in the house. The dish came out pretty good, but cooked up quicker than I had expected. Over all, it's a very healthy meal and tasty, but personally, I'd rather make oatmeal raisin-cranberry cookies to use up the fruit!
Chicken-wild Rice Casserole with Dried Cranberries(8 servings)Betty Crocker- More Slow Cooked Recipes

1 1/2 cups of uncooked wild rice
1/3 cup of dried cranberries or cherries
1 TBSP onion powder
1 cup cut up baby carrots
2 medium stalks of celery, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 cup chunky applesauce
1/2 TSP of salt
8 chicken drumsticks(skin removed)
8 chicken thighs (skin removed)
1 can (10 3/4 oz) beefy mushroom soup
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
2 TSP thyme leaves 
Instructions
Add all ingredients, except chicken,broth,soup and thyme. Arrange chicken on top. Add soup, then broth and sprinkle thyme on chicken. Cook on high for 4-6 hours. Check it at the 4 hour mark to make sure the rice doesn't burn.

 

Hawaiian Style

I went bat sh*t crazy at the supermarket the other day deciding I need to uber-stock my pantry with marinades. I was lucky enough to stumble across McCormick's Grill Mates Hawaiian Luau Marinade. I built tonight's dinner theme around that idea. I marinated two chicken cutlets for around 4 hours in the marinade and it was quite tasty. I paired the chicken with an old favorite, Teriyaki Fried Rice and a new favorite, Pineapple Kabobs. I didn't have any Meyer's Dark Rum to make a favorite low cal, Mai Tai style cocktail, so I sipped white wine instead. My husband topped his with a Pina Colada, while the kids threw back some milk. Yup, we're hard core! My husband told me dinner was perfect, but he could have done without the sound effects - AKA "A whiney, molar-teething, one year old." Now, on with the recipes.

Hawaiian Luau Chicken
1 package of McCormick's Grill Mates Hawaiian Luau Marinade
2 pounds chicken, salmon on pork
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/3 cup of white vinegar

Prepare marinade according to directions on package and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

Cook on grill for 20-25 minutes between 35o - 400 degrees.

Pineapple Kabobs
3/4 cup of pineapple chunks (fresh)
3/4 cup white onion chunks
3/4 cup red onion chunks
PAM Grill Spray

Slice pineapple, white onion and red pepper into cubes. Arrange on Kabob Skewer. Spray with PAM for Grilling, front and back. Arrange on grill pan and cook on grill for 30 minutes, turning kabobs every 5-7 minutes. Remove when grilled to a warm, golden color.

Teriyaki Fried Rice
1 Bag of Boil in Bag White or Brown Rice
1 Egg
2 TBSP of Olive oil
1/4 cup of chopped white onion
1/4 cup of Teriyaki Sauce
1 TBSP of Soy Sauce

Heat oil in pan, then add the onion. Brown lightly. Boil rice until done. When rice is complete, drain and add to pan. Add Teriyaki and Soy sauces. Stir until rice is coated. Crack egg and add to rice. Stir quickly until egg is fully cooked in the rice. Serve and Enjoy!